kandcats's Full Review: Tim Cockey - Hearse Case Scenario
The Hearse Case Scenario is the 3rd in a series of novels from the author Tim Cockey featuring our witty hero, Hitchcock Sewell. Published in 2002, The Hearse Case Scenario is a follow up to The Hearse You Came In On and Hearse of a Different Color.
Hitch is a 34 year old bachelor undertaker in Baltimore with a sharp sense of humor. He is also an amateur sleuth. In his latest adventure he is trying to help out a friend of his, Lucy Taylor, who has been accused of murder. Believing that Lucy is innocent, Hitch sets out to find out what really happened and who the bad guy really is.
We have some reoccurring characters from previous novels, Aunt Billie, Hitch's aging aunt that raised him and who runs Sewell and Sons Funeral Home with Hitch. His best friend and ex-wife, Julia, a free spirited artist. Detective Kruk, our stoic Baltimore PD Detective who would like Hitch to remain on the sidelines instead of sticking his nose in police business.
Lucy Taylor grew up with Hitch and Julia in the Fell's Point district of Baltimore and apparently Lucy has not always had the best of luck. She also doesn't appear to make the best choice in men. She might have shot her lowlife club owner boyfriend, Shrimp Martin, but she swears she didn't sneak into the hospital to finish the job. The police don't appear to have any other suspects and Hitch can't believe Lucy is guilty so he jumps in feet first to find out who killed Shrimp Martin. When Shrimp's step brother Arthur Wisner's body turns up not long after we got ourselves a full fledged who done it - Cockey style.
We meet some new and decidedly quirky characters along the way. Pete Munger, private eye hired by Arthur's mother to find out who killed Arthur. Lee Cromwell, sultry nightclub singer. Edgar Jonz, hip jazz musician. Mary Childs, pint sized bartender with a giant chip on her shoulder. Kit Grady, basketball player for the Baltimore Blues with a big jealousy streak. Hank Mackey, Kit's high school basketball coach who is still trying to clean up Kit's messes.
As the story unfolds, it takes some turns and twists and at one time or another - everyone looks guilty. You never know what to expect in the world of Hitchcock Sewell. Lucy disappears with Hitch’s ex-wife Julia. The murders seem to be connected with the murder of a co-ed the year before, illegal sports gambling, a giant bag of cash and shady business deals. Hitch teams up with private eye Pete Munger to gather info and solve the puzzle. As usual, it is always a fun ride to find out who the bad guys are and what the motives were.
Lucy Taylor really doesn’t turn out to be a major character in the novel. She makes the occasional appearance in Hitch’s reflections on childhood and Hitch questions her a few times but otherwise we don’t see her much at all. Hitch is as funny as ever, balancing a career as an undertaker with his quest to find a killer and warming the stools at the bars of Baltimore's more colorful drinking establishments. He even takes a road trip to the beach - in the hearse no less.
I love the way Cockey can turn a phrase - he is a very clever and funny author. However, The Hearse Case Scenario didn't quite grab hold of me like the previous 2 Hitchcock Sewell mysteries did. The story seemed to drag in spots and I can't say I thought that this mystery was up to par with the previous 2. I will say though that it is still a great read and a fun ride in the old Hearse. Cockey set the bar pretty high with the first 2 novels though and I just don't think that this installment quite measured up. In all fairness, if I hadn't read the first 2 novels, I would have loved this book on its own.
I do recommend it as it is a fun read and unlike previous Hitch who done it's, I didn't figure out who did it until Cockey decided to fill the reader in.
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